Thursday, February 2, 2012

Hip News From the Farm

Geeze, this post ended up being a novel! If you are looking for Eener’s Farm CSA info please skip down to about the middle of this post. If you are looking to buy meat from Eener’s Farm go ahead and read on.

We had so much fun selling a steer that we’ve decided to sell another one! This time around we had the butcher make some different cuts. There is also some lamb and goat meat still available. All animals raised on Eener’s Farm are 100% grass fed. If you or anyone you know may be interested in buying some please let us know! The next meat delivery day will be on Saturday, February 11.

Lamb Meat:We have a limited number of racks, ribs and shanks still available.

Goat Meat:A special note about the goat meat: these are young goats, so they don’t have a goat-y smell to them. In fact, they taste very similar to lamb. We’ve got ribs, shanks, legs, racks, chops and steaks available.

Olson’s Woodville Meats of Woodville, WI did the butchering. It has been federally inspected. All the meat is packed in clear plastic.

How to buy some:Just e-mail me (eenermachine@gmail.com) or give me a call (715)643-2803 with what you’d like. We’ll be delivering on Saturday, February 11. We do home delivery to Stillwater at 9a.m. and Hudson at 10a.m. We meet people at Hampden Park Co-op at 11a.m. and will do home delivery to anyone living within five miles of there (928 Raymond Ave.) around 11:30a.m. We also have been known to deliver to Blaine at noon. On-farm pick up is available if you live near us or happen to be in the area (N12449 220th St. Boyceville, WI 54725) pretty much anytime.

How these critters lived:The beef is a Hereford steer (a.k.a. Whiteface) born about 18 months ago. The lambs are an Icelandic cross breed born last April. The goats are Saanen cross breeds also born last April. All of these animals spent their entire lives out to pasture. In fact they were born out in the pasture and there moms did an excellent job of raising them. None of them were ever confined and so lived very carefree lives. Since none of them ever had any health problems they were never given any antibiotics. These are true grass fed critters and so corn or any other type of feed was never a part of their diet.

2012 CSA Info

Delivery Locations: We’ll be delivering to River Market Co-Op which is located in downtown Stillwater; Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson; Hampden Park Co-Op in St. Paul (928 Raymond Ave., fairly near Midway Stadium); Menomonie Market Food Co-op in Menomonie and in Blaine for Aveda employees.

Delivery Days and Times: River Market Co-op in Stillwater: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 1:30 and 9p.m.

Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson: boxes are delivered on Mondays members pick them up between 2:30 and 9p.m.

Hampden Park Co-op in St. Paul: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick them up between 2:00 and 9p.m.

Aveda: boxes are delivered on Wednesdays members pick up anytime after 2:30 p.m.

Menomonie Market Food Co-op: boxes are delivered on Fridays members pick up between 3 and 8p.m.

Box Size: I offer full and half shares, both are delivered on a weekly basis. Full shares come in 1 and 1/9 bushel boxes, half shares will be packed in 5/9 bushel boxes. If you are trying to picture the size of the boxes here are the dimensions: 1 and 1/9boxes are 17.9”X12”X12” and 5/9 boxes are 14.5”X11.6”X8.1”.

How Do Full and Half Shares Differ? Besides getting larger quantities of produce, full share members also receive sporadic eggs from our free-range chickens. Additionally we pick whatever berries we are able to grow for the full shares (last year we were able to do one delivery of strawberries and one delivery of raspberries. Also, if a crop does terribly, it’s almost a given the full shares will still receive it. For example, last year was a bad year for brussel sprouts but we were still able to eek enough of them out of the patch to supply the full shares.

What Size is Best for You? That is an excellent question…sorta depends on how much you eat and cook. The full shares are for roughly four people and the half shares are for right around two people. That being said, a pair of serious vegetarians could probably easily knock down a full share. On the flip side, a family of four with children may be just fine with a half share.

Our Season Length: This year I’ll be doing 18 weeks starting the second week in June and going until the second week in October. This means that for Stillwater and Hudson folks their first box will be on June 11. St Paul and Blaine folks’ first box will be on June 13. Those picking up in Menomonie will have their first box on June 15.

What About Your Vacation(s)? If you leave town or just know you won’t be able to pick up your box we can skip you for that week(s) and double, triple or quadruple your delivery when you get back. Arrangements for this should be made at least 24 hours in advance.

This is all fine and good, but what the heck is a CSA anyway? Basically, a CSA (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture) is a type of direct market farm, meaning the farmer sells food directly to customers. There are a lot of advantages to this kind of farm. For one, customers/members know exactly where their food is coming from (we encourage our members to come visit the farm and we hold a big party at the end of the season for everyone). Secondly, produce from CSA farms doesn’t travel far. As a result it’s better for the environment and members enjoy much fresher produce. Another perk is that CSA farms tend to be really diversified (we grow about 40 varieties of veggies plus herbs) so members get a nice variety of in-season veggies.

Risk: Since farming is so completely tied to the weather, it’s risky business. My goal is to provide my members with an amount of produce that is equal to the money they paid for their share. Over the past three years I think I accomplished this goal. But I can’t promise that this will be true for this year. It’s helpful to think of CSA farms in terms of the stock market; when members buy a share they are making an investment. On a good year they will break even or get an amount of produce that is greater in value than their initial investment. On a bad year, they may end up with an amount of produce that is worth less than what they invested. Also, a well-placed tornado could wipe us clear off the map and put a serious bind on CSA deliveries. In buying a full season of produce, the members of CSA farms share the risk with their farmers.

Is Eener’s Farm Organic?: I’m not certified organic, so I can’t advertise myself as organic. I do advertise as “Chemical Free” which means I don’t use any chemical pesticides or herbicides in my farming operations. I looked into the process to become certified and it does involve an investment, which I’d be willing to make. It turns out that being certified also involves TONS of paperwork and record keeping… not my strong points. So at this point I am not pursuing a certification though I remain committed to organic gardening.

Eener’s Farm C.S.A. Sign-Up Form for 2012Send this to me in the mail: N12449 220th St. Boyceville WI 54725 or E-mail this information to me at eenermachine@gmail.com and I’ll put you on the list for 2012.

Your Name:_______________________________

Which Size Share: Full ($515) Half ($275)

How to Pay: Make checks out to Eener’s Farm or Renee Bettendorf. Pay the whole works by June 1, 2012 or pay half the amount by June 1, 2012 and the other half by October 1, 2012.

If you are a returning Eener’s Farm member you don’t have to fill the rest of this out unless something has changed:

Your Address:________________________________

Your Phone Number:_____________________________

Your E-mail Address:_________________________

Risk Agreement: By signing up I understand that there is risk involved in farming and that I have agreed to share in this risk. Because of factors like weather and pests I understand that I may not get all the produce that Eener has planned on putting in my box. I also understand that I may get more than Eener planned on putting in my box in the event that some produce crops do really, really well.

About Me

Eener’s Farm is a fifth generation family farm located in Dunn County WI approximately 60 miles from St. Paul. Earlier generations utilized the farm for dairy and beef operations. Eener (that’s Renee backwards) has converted the farm into a small CSA which is now in its third year.
Full and half shares are available, both are delivered weekly. Deliveries start the second week in June and continue for 18 weeks through the second week in October. Delivery sites: Fresh and Natural Foods in Hudson, River Market Co-op in downtown Stillwater and Hampden Park Co-op in St. Paul (928 Raymond Ave.).
Each share includes 30 to 40 varieties of vegetables, a small selection of herbs and Eener’s ultra-hip weekly newsletter ‘The Spinning Turnip’. Eener grows pretty much all the classic garden veggies plus a few oddities. As an added bonus, full share members sporadically receive Eener’s free range chicken eggs. Members are not required to work on the farm. They are welcome to visit and encouraged to attend the Big Fall Harvest Party Fest which is held at the farm in October and involves a bonfire, food, farm tours, hay rides, pumpkins and wildlife fun.